Pedestrian&#39;s skirt.



. Patented Dec, l8, I900. E. M.- REYNOLDS.

PEDESTRIANS SKIRT. (Apiahcahon filed. Jan 10 1900 fizventz-ess.

(No Modal.)

co. Pno'muflu. wsHINGToN n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIZABETH M. REYNOLDS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

PEDESTRIANS SKIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,002, dated December 18, 1900.

Application filed January 10, 1900. Serial No. 927. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIZABETH M. REY- NOLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the countyof Hamilton and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Pedestrians Skirts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This improvement relates to those articles of female wearing-apparel commonly known as pedestrian-skirts; and my invention consists in cutting and making these garments in such a peculiar way as to render them available for use either in pleasant or stormy weather, the change from .a fairweather garment to a rainy-day garment being conveniently effected and without taking it off. Said garment is entirely separate and distinct from a jacket or other similar article, and in pleasant weather its hem just clears the ground, while its top fits snugly around a wearer at what is called by dressmakers the waist-line and is free from suspenders or other supports; but in case of a storm the skirt is simply pulled up from three to five inches, thereby causing its upper portion to surround the waist and to have the appearance of a scalloped bodice.

The principal feature of my invention consists in the special means employed for causing this snug fit of the upper portion of the skirt both when it is raised and lowered, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a rear elevation showing my skirt arranged for pleasant weather. Fig. 2 is a similar elevation, but showing the garment adjusted for use as a rainy-weather skirt. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper portion of the pleasant-weather skirt. Fig. 4 is a similar View of the rainy-day skirt. Fig. 5 shows one of a number of jointed stays or stiffeners necessary for a correct fit of the garment. Fig. 6 shows said stififenerinserted within a placket-casing at the upper end of the skirt.

The skirt A, which is composed of any suitable waterproof material, is made of various standard sizes, so as to be readily fitted to the majority of wearers, and has at bottom a hem a and at top a number of V-shaped openings or plackets B, of which as many may be used as circumstances dictate, although five or six will be suflicient in the majority of cases. Again, the length of these plackets will be determined by the range of up and down shifting of the skirtthat is to say, from three to five inches. The opposite edges of these open plackets have casings b 1) (shown only in Fig. 6) for the reception of jointed stays or stiffeners, one of which is shown detached at O in Fig. 5. These stays may be made of wire or thin fiat bars, and the joint 0 must be of such a character as to hold the device with a moderate degree of stiifness, so as to prevent any sagging down of the sides of'the plackets when the skirt is drawn up, and yet said devices 0 0 must permit the ready and complete closing of said notches B when the garment is lowered. Consequently any automatic action of these stays, such as theiropening or closing, would render them useless for my purpose. Again, they must be entirely concealed within the casings b b, and their upper ends must be free from hooks or other fastenings. In addition to these stays the plackets may be furnished with hooks and eyes, as shown at D d in Fig. 4. The rear portion of the skirt has at top a pair of plaits E E, that run down as far as may be necessary and are furnished with hooks e and eyes e.

F is an inside belt, whose front ends are capable-of being readily coupled together, while its central portion is fastened to the back of the skirt.

G is a buttoned side flap running down far enough to enable the garment being readily put on.

By referring to Fig. 1 it will be noticed that the hem a just clears the ground, while the upper part of the garment fits very snugly around the wearers waist, the plackets being now closed and the plaits E E separated as far as possible to allow for hip-measure. This complete closure of the plackets B is due to the fact that the joints 0 of the stays are somewhat stiff, and being devoid of any spring action the bars 0 C will not fly apart, and thus open the upper ends of said plackets. Again, in this lowered position of the skirt the inside belt F is not used, the garment depending for its support solely upon its tight lit.

If the wearer should be caught in a storm, it would be the work of but a few minutes to draw up the skirt the required height, then fasten the belt F around the waist, and hook together the plaits E E, thus taking out any objectionable fullness that would otherwise form at the back of the garment. As the skirt is thus raised three, four, or five inches some provision must be made for the ready expansion of the upper portion of the garment, as it is thus shifted from the waistline to the much greater bust-line. This expansion is permitted by the plackets B, which open in the manner shown in Figs. 2, -t, and 6, and the sides of said plaokets are held up by the stays C. Here, again, the advantage of the stiff-jointed stays is apparent, as they separate at top with the opening of the plackets and have no tendency to spring together. Consequently there is no danger of this notched portion of the skirt drooping down and presenting an untidy appearance. The distance between the separated and closed plaits, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, has been somewhat exaggerated to render this feature of the skirt more apparent. Finally, it will be noticed that my pedestrian-skirt is a single garment, complete in itself, and requires no bodice or jacket or other extra attachment to conceal the means wherewith it is readily converted from one use to another, as above described.

I claim as my invention- 1. The herein-described skirt the same oomprisi-ng a body portion having a plurality of plackets at its upper edge and means for closing said plackets, whereby said skirt is adapted to vertical adjustment at the waistline, as set forth.

2. The herein-described skirt the same comprising a body portion having a plurality of plackets at its upper edge and means for closing and stifiening the walls of said plackets, whereby said skirt is adapted to vertical adjustment at the waistline, as set forth.

3. Theherein-describedskirtthesamecomprising a body portion having a plurality of plackets at its upper edge and springs for opening and closing said plackets, whereby said skirt is adapted to vertical adjustment at the waist-line, as set forth.

-t. Theherein-describedskirt the samecomprising a body having a plurality of plaekets at its upper edge, means for closing said plackets, a belt secured to the inner face of the skirt in the rear thereof, on the line of the lower extremities of said plackets, at points beneath plaits in the skirt, said plaits being provided with attaching means, whereby the garment may be shortened to fit the waist of the wearer, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELIZABETH M. REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

J AMES H. LAYMAN, ERNEST G. SIMON. 

